It seems that Firefly fans will be finally getting a treat this fall in the form of an expanded mythos through a new comic series from Boom! Studios, which has recently acquired its property rights.
As reported by Entertainment Weekly, Boom! Studios and the publisher have lately revealed the plans of a new ongoing comic series will be published based on the Joss Whedon creation with writer Greg Pak (Planet Hulk) and artist Dan McDaid at the helm.
The 2002 television series, which only lasted a season, developed a cult following its cancellation, filing a fandom that led not only to a handful of comics (which will be collected in the forthcoming Firefly: Legacy Edition, Book One) but a feature film in 2005, Serenity.
The story will focus on the War of Unification—between the Alliance and the Independents where characters Malcolm Reynolds and Zoe Alleyne Washburne fought together on the losing side. This is a key moment in their past that defined them throughout Firefly‘s run.
Over the course of the new series, Pak and McDaid will reveal what Malcolm and Zoe experienced during this critical point in their reality’s history, experiences which ultimately led to the formation of the Serenity crew fans have grown to know and love.
Whedon, who is serving as a consultant on the comic book series told EW—“It’s high time we got to see the full story of Mal and Zoe’s meeting and mission in the War of Unification. The good and bad that the pressure of war brings out in them, and the unforeseeable consequences.”
During its 14 episode run, Whedon and the Firefly creative team created a universe where humankind had expanded into space, but like on earth did not distribute its resources evenly. This, in course led to the tensions between planets ultimately resulting in the Unification War. The war was briefly mentioned in Firefly‘s pilot but not really touched upon after.
Pak further added on the story saying, “Our story will reveal key experiences for Mal and Zoe during the Unification War that you’ve never seen before. And we’ll introduce entirely new corners of the star system with characters, organizations, and subcultures that are absolutely true to all the world-building you know but absolutely brand-new at the same time.”
Besides this new title, Boom! Studios will also publish a series of Firefly Legacy Edition collections, in which they will be reprinting the Dark Horse Comics Firefly stories.